By Jess Hardy
Bluebird Basin Book 2
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Blurb
It’s official, Mira Harlow has finally lost it. Between running her small-town bakery, parenting her 14-year-old son, and taking care of her mom, she’s a stretched-thin mess. But kissing a total—and very sexy—stranger before begging him to be her date to Ashley and Madigan’s wedding just so her ex won’t see how lonely she really is? That’s a new level of chaos, even for her.
The last thing drummer Cole Sanderson expects when he drives into the small ski town of Red Falls, MT is to score a date to his best friend’s wedding. But since his life in Seattle is stagnating, when the gorgeous, green-eyed bakery owner propositions him to be her long-distance boyfriend, stirring his punk-shenanigans roots to their core, he doesn’t even hesitate to tell her, “Hell yes!”
Mira hopes for a fun night with her fake date, but when their wedding weekend turns into a genuine connection, when Cole returns to Seattle and she tries to go back to her normal life, she can’t help but wonder if she missed out on something real. But Cole isn’t done with her yet, and when he finds his way back to Red Falls, she’ll have to decide what’s more important, holding down her world, or taking a risk, embracing the chaos, and maybe even falling in love.
Lips Like Sugar is book 2 in the Bluebird Basin Romance series but can absolutely be read as a standalone. This story features two main characters in their fifties, lots of laughs, plenty of open-door steam, and so many butterflies.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Read if you like:
🧁 Small town
🧁 Older MCs
🧁 Fake dating
🧁 Long distance
🧁 Baker heroine
My Thoughts:
Getting to go back to Bluebird Basin was a pure delight! Mira and Cole had such a special connection and I loved watching it develop!
Cole stole my heart in so many ways. I always love a male main character not afraid of his emotions and I loved how hard he fell for Mira. Also, he listens to Mira and wants all the details of her life from what menopause is like to her daily struggles taking care of her mom. Finally, he tells Mira that he got a vasectomy when Roe v Wade was overturned. I love that he cared about his partners enough to make that choice despite not being in a serious relationship.
I also really loved seeing Mira's struggle to be a mom and take care of her mom. This is something I've seen my own parents dealing with though luckily, I'm a grown-up, unlike Mira's son, so it's a bit easier. I also liked that even though Mira was in her 50's she had career goals and things she wanted to accomplish!
This series has so much heart, amazing characters and friendships as well as romances. I can't wait to read more. I really Want Davis and Kev's story! I hope we don't have to wait until they are twenty years older to get it!
🌶️🌶️🌶️ - This one had a couple of open-door scenes as well as some pining and sexual tension.
Thanks to Netgalley and Jess Hardy for providing me with this arc. All opinions are my own.
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